Per aspera ad astra
by sfdanielle
Summary: Elena finds out that there is a way how to save the doppelganger during the sacrifice. And who is the one that's going to help her? Noone else but our favourite Original.
1. Chapter 1

**Per aspera ad astra**

**A/N: This story takes place in the middle of 2x19…M for future chapters…. Enjoy ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.**

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><p>„You found a way to save the life of the doppelganger?"<p>

"Yes Elena, I did…" murmured Elijah, staying just few inches in front of me. I couldn't believe it. Was he serious? After all this time worrying about the sacrifice it seemed to be so unreal.

He turned around. "But unfortunately, Katerina took matters into her own hands first. I believe you already know how that played out." He gave me my jacket then and stopped standing beside me.

"You cared about her, didn't you?" I asked…he wouldn't be the first one, right?

"It's a common mistake I'm told. And it's one I won't make again" he said, watching me with those intense eyes of his. Then he walked out the door. That's probably supposed to mean that our little trip was over. I followed him outside. He was already getting into my car, so I did the same.

"I should go to see Stefan and tell him everything. Are you coming with me?" I asked, starting the engine and hitting the road.

"Well, of course. We have some plans to make. Although I don't think the Salvatore brothers will be very thrilled to cooperate with me." Elijah smirked slightly.

"Well…It's not like we have a choice" I said little bit annoyed.

"There's always a choice, Elena."

There was a short pause. "I'm sure they will be much less unwilling to cooperate when they hear about the news you just told me" I smiled slightly when I realized there was a small hope building inside of me. Something I gave up on a long time ago. It was still hard to believe that there is a chance of me surviving the sacrifice.

"They'd better be." There it was. The arrogant smile again.

I was just about to snap back some cheeky comment when my phone started to ring. Elijah looked at me. I put it out of my pocket. "It's Stefan" I tried not to sound irritated, but I actually was a bit. I mean, don't get me wrong…I love Stefan…I appreciate his help and everything he's doing for me. But he never lets me make a decision, he never lets me do anything on my own, ever. Like he didn't even trust me. I spoke to him barely an hour ago and told him that everything is fine..grr..Sometimes I feel like a child in his presence.

By the amused look on Elijah's face, I could tell I wasn't very convincing at hiding my frustration. "You won't answer it? " He asked.

I sighed and put the phone back to my pocket. "There's no need for it. We will be there in few minutes anyway" Suddenly, I heard a loud shot or something and everything went black…just like that.

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><p>"Elena" I woke up to the sound of someone saying my name. I opened my eyes, but for a minute there, I still couldn't see anything else but darkness. My head was killing me. Wait, my whole body was. Then I realized I was lying on the ground and the one calling my name was Elijah, sitting on the ground next to me. I looked around. My car was completely destroyed.<p>

"W-what happened?" I managed to sit down.

"We were attacked. By vampires. Those poor guys obviously didn't expect me to be with you" He said, mockingly. "How are you feeling?" His smile faded. If I didn't know him I would think he was actually worried.

"I'm fine" more or less… "But…why would they do that?" I was confused.

"Klaus sent them" He said like it was obvious. "He probably ran out of patience. A little bit earlier than I would like." He frowned slightly, then stood up and helped me get on my feet. "Change of plans. You're coming with me"

"What?" I pulled away from him, losing my balance a bit.

"You heard me" He said, closing the space between us once again. His voice so intimidating that a shiver went down my spine.

"B-but what about Stefan and Damon?"

Elijah sighed. "They should be your last concern. See, there is just one last thing to be handled before the sacrifice. And till then, I need you to stay safe and away from Klaus." He straightened his jacket while speaking "And as much as you don't like it, you are safer with me then you are with them. Klaus could send someone much older than they are. How do you think they would save you then, hm?" He asked lifting his eyebrows and patiently waiting for an answer…which didn't come.

"I am glad we can agree" He said eventually, smiling. "So, shall we?" he offered me his hand while looking directly in my eyes.

I don't know, shall we? The most important thing is that everyone who I care about will be all right. And I can't think of better way to manage that then stay as far away from them as possible and help Elijah to kill Klaus in the process. And it's not like I can tell Elijah to go screw himself and expect him to oblige. So what am I even thinking about?

"_Yes"_ I whispered and accepted his hand.

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><p><strong>AN: So what do you think? Continue or not?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_Yes" I whispered and accepted his hand._

The moment I touched his fingers everything went blurry. I gasped for some air. The feeling I was experiencing at that time is hardly describable. It took me a long time to realize what was actually going on. And then we stopped. We were standing right in front of a gas station. Elijah released me from his arms and a wave of nausea hit me really strong. Transportation in vampire speed obviously wasn't my thing. Wait a moment…what was that? Did I just hear Elijah to chuckle?

"Are you all right?" He asked, clearly amused by my discomfort.

"Never been better" I snapped, frowning. "However" I paused…"Would you mind if I went to the ladies room?"

"Not at all" He smiled. "I will wait for you in the cafeteria. Take your time" He said and walked away.

I have to say I was quite surprised that he hadn't followed me. I mean, what if I suddenly changed my mind and decided to run away and scream for Stefan's help? But who am I kidding? I wouldn't make it even 10 meters away if he didn't want me to.

I made it to the toilet and the first thing I did was to wash my face. The cold water helped to steady my nerves and even my stomach a little bit. I stood there, looking into the mirror, not quite sure for how long. I needed some time to summarize my thoughts. _I have to call Stefan and tell him there's no need to worry. _I reached into my pocket and froze. My cell phone wasn't there. I probably lost it during the car crash. _Crap._

I went to the cafeteria, looking for Elijah. He was sitting in a box near the window, leaning against the seat casually, his fingers running over his lips. He was looking outside and seemed very preoccupied with his own thoughts. There was two cups of what seemed like coffee on the table in front of him. I sat opposite him. He glanced up at me.

"May I?" I asked hesitantly, reaching for one of the cups.

"Be my guest" He gave a nod, lifting one corner of his lips.

"Thanks" I deeply inhaled the magnificent scent before taking a sip. This was _weird._ What am I gonna do with this guy the whole time before the sacrifice? Chitchat about weather?

I looked nervously around the room searching for something to distract me from the awkward silence and situation I was in. Nothing, just some drunk man lying on the table and a waitress behind the bar.

"Are you hungry?" Elijah broke the silence.

"No" My stomach flinched. "Elijah…?" I mumbled.

"Yes?" He asked, clearly pleased with my insecurity.

"I guess I lost my phone. Can I borrow yours? I want to tell Stefan not to worry…and especially not to do anything."

Elijah was silent for a moment and then sighed. "I'm sorry, Elena. I'm afraid you can't. It's better they don't know anything. Do you _honestly_ believe that they wouldn't go looking for you if you called them?" He watched me, I looked away.

"Yes?...No?" He shook his head slightly. "No…I don't think so either. It would be totally useless. The less they know the better for all of us." He finished his coffee and looked outside. "Would you mind waiting here for a second?"

I shook my head and watched him leave, paying the waitress in the process. I was kind of taken aback, not knowing what to expect… Once he was outside, he went around the corner so I couldn't see anything. In about three minutes, he was back at our table.

"Ready to go?" He asked, smiling. I lifted my eyebrows. "Don't worry. I believe this will be much more pleasant form of transport for you then the previous one." He assured me.

I looked at him suspiciously and let him lead me outside. And do you know what was waiting around the corner? Exactly, it was a car, silver Volvo SC90.

„Is this yours or…?" I left the answer hanging in the air.

"Elena, relax. Does killing people and stealing their cars really sound like something _I _would do? I know of much more elegant ways to kill the time with" He told me while opening the car door for me. "And I also have a lot of people who are prepared to do _anything_for me, anytime I like." He smiled. "All I had to do was to make one phone call. So yes, this is indeed my car." Elijah closed the door as soon as I sat into the passenger seat. He was behind the wheel in just a second.

All I managed to let out was a simple "O.K.".

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><p>And there we were, hitting the road again, only with Elijah in the driver's seat this time.<p>

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see" He smirked.

Of course… Why am I even asking? I _knew _he's gonna answer this way.

"All good things to those who wait" He added, mockingly, probably sensing my irritation.

"Whatever" I sighed, sinking deeper into the seat. I was exhausted.

"I can't see how we're gonna survive this without getting Cabin fever" I whispered to myself.

"For your sake, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear it." He growled. For a minute I thought it was a serious threat but after looking at him I noticed the amusement in his eyes. Or at least it seemed that way to me. I mean, it's Elijah who are we talking about, right?

"I'll be happy to repeat it" I smiled boldly.

Elijah inhaled deeply. "This is going to be agonizingly long journey…"

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><p><strong>AN: Here you go :)**

** I'm sooo sorry for any possible mistakes. English is not my mother language :)) But i think this is a perfect way to get better in it :) Hope you liked it. Next chapter will be longer, I promise :) I mean, only if you want to, of course :))**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey Guys! Sorry for the delay. I know, an extremely long one. But in my defence, life has been kind of...tough...and confusing...and mainly fast! Final exams at school, getting driving licence, canoeing course...and I'm not talking about my family and friends. But who cares, right? :P I better stop talking ;) For what it's worth, I'm back, so ... Enjoy new chapter! ;***

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

I woke up. It took me a minute to realize that I was in a car with Elijah, heading god knows where.

There was one difference though. I felt..._peaceful._ I'm not sure how long I slept but it definitely helped me to recharge some energy. My body didn't hurt anymore. I wasn't exhausted. I wasn't nervous because of my uncertain future. It didn't even bother me that I was alone with original. Actually, it made me feel _oddly _safe. I have no idea what kind of miraculous sleep this was, but yeah..._peaceful_ was the _perfect_ word for my current state.

"Hello there" a low voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Good morning" I smiled at Elijah and looked outside while stretching myself a bit. The sun was just rising. That means I slept whole night.

"I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere for breakfast? " I looked at him, pleadingly. "Please?" I added with a smile.

He seemed to be a little bit surprised or something. Am I getting better at reading his emotions? Or is he getting worse at hiding them? "Someone's in a good mood" He added in a curious tone.

"It's a beautiful day" I shrugged." Besides, who wouldn't be in a good mood with such pleasant company? " I asked, mockingly.

He smirked. "That is a _very_ good question."

I returned his smirk. It's not like I expected him to answer in any other way. He definitely didn't have a problem with lack of self-confidence. But then again, it's not exactly a bad quality. I kind of always liked it about him…Wait! Where did this come from?

Elijah's voice interrupted my confusing thoughts once again. "As for the breakfast…be my guest." He handed me a paper bag. I looked at him questioningly, took the bag and opened it. An amazing scent of cinnamon attacked my olfactory cells. Cinnamon rolls, my favourite! "And here" He smiled at me and handed me an enclosed cup of coffee. I hadn't noticed any of it till then.

"I didn't even notice that we stopped." I said, surprised.

"You slept like a baby. It would be a shame to wake you up." He said with a smile. I don't think I had ever seen him smiling so often before. It looked good on him.

"Besides…It was also quite interesting to listen to your sleep talking."

"What?" I choked on one of the cinnamon rolls.

Elijah chuckled. "Be careful. The point of this whole situation is keeping you safe, isn't it?"

"What was I talking about? I don't remember dreaming of anything." I shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, well, well, where do I start?" He was obviously having fun.

"Come ooon" I whined.

"Calm down. Most of the time, you were just moaning and whining."

"And the rest of the time..?"

"You were babbling something about global warming, chocolate cake, roller coaster…oh, and me." He added casually, smile never leaving his face.

"You just made that up." I frowned.

"You wish" He smirked and turned his face away from the road towards me, watching me intensely. A shiver went down my spine, but this time, it wasn't because I was scared of him. It was that stare of his. How is it even possible to look at someone with such intensity as he does? Time felt like it stopped for a minute. Then I looked away.

"Whatever" I snapped. " You probably just couldn't give it a rest and didn't leave me alone even while I was on a roller coaster, all stressed out because of global warming _and_ somehow eating a cake in the process…It seems that all this private time with you starts to make me kind of crazy." I tried to keep up the cynical tone and straight face, but I just couldn't fight the small smile appearing on my lips. The constant teasing, the silly chit chats about nothing…I was actually enjoying it. And I honestly started to scare myself.

"Crazy you say? The lovely young lady calling me pleasant company just a few moments ago, that must have been someone else then, right?" He faked confusion.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You probably didn't stay unaffected either." I grinned. By the time, I already polished off my breakfast.

For a moment there was silence. I felt a bit uncomfortable, because Elijah had this mysterious look on his face. He was obviously thinking about something. And then, in a quiet low voice, he said: "By the way, I may not know what you dreamt of, but it definitely didn't seem to me that you didn't like me being there."

My blood froze for a second. What the heck did _that _suppose to mean? He was just messing with me, that's for sure.

"It didn't seem to you? Or did you see what you wanted to see?" The _best defense_ is a good offense, isn't it? I opened my window to get some air while asking him.

He answered with a chuckle. "I don't think I will ever get used to your impudence. Do you always have to have the last word?"

I just grimaced at him, reaching out to turn on the radio. "I love this song!" I yelled out and started to wriggle and sing along. It was just about time to blow off some steam.

_I used to hate you, But now I love you__  
><em>_Still like a rose__  
><em>_Still like a rose__  
><em>_And when you kiss me, I wanna slap you__  
><em>_Sorry it's lost__  
><em>_I feel like I've lost__  
><em>_I chew my nails down, I look at the ground__  
><em>_I am pissed__  
><em>_I am shy__  
><em>_Because you threw me, in a blender__  
><em>_I am hot__  
><em>_I am cold_

_Do you wanna get to know me__  
><em>_Do you wanna learn to get inside my head__  
><em>_Do you wanna get to touch me__  
><em>_Cause now my ex is officially dead_

_I don't lalalala like you__  
><em>_I lalalala love you__  
><em>_I used to hahaha hate you__  
><em>_But now I really fucking love you!_

And then it stopped. At first I wanted to be mad at Elijah for spoiling the fun, but then I realized that the radio stopped for another reason, the engine was _off. _I looked at my still clearly amused co-passanger and suddenly I felt really stupid for acting out like a teenager. But hey, I shouldn't care about what Elijah thinks of me, but for example, why the hell did we stop. I looked outside. That didn't look like our destination. It looked like an airport.

"As much as I enjoyed witnessing your little performance, I'm afraid you'll have to finish it some other time." He got out of the car and in a second, he was opening my door and offering his hand to me in order to help me get on my feet. "We don't want to miss our flight, do we?" He winked at me.

_Oh boy, where will this all end?_

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><p><strong>AN: If someone is**** interested, the song I used is called _Blender_ and it is by_ Pretty Reckless._ ;)**

**And thank you ALL _so_ much for the reviews :** You are so nice to me and I don't even deserve it ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi there again! Hope you enjoy holidays just as much as I do! :) It's been so amazing and soo hectic that there's not even enough time for sleep or at least some kind of rest. But hey, who am I to complain. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

We had been on a plane for like 4 hours already. My whole body was sore after the constant sitting. First the car, now this. I was sitting by the window, deep in thoughts, looking at the sky. But every now and then, I turned my head to look at Elijah sitting next to me. I just couldn't help it. He was actually asleep. Or at least, he seemed to be. He looked incredibly relaxed and somehow, it helped me to feel better just as well.

I started to feel the urge to go to the toilet some time ago, but I didn't want to wake Elijah. However, it started to be kind of unavoidable so I decided that I'll try my best and somehow climb over him. I know, I know... How could I be so naive, right?

I managed to get on my feet, but in the moment when I was facing him, looking for support on his armrests, he opened his eyes. His face still as relaxed as before. But those piercing eyes, looking directly into mine merely few inches away, they did it to me. My heart skipped a beat.

"What are you doing?" He asked and narrowed his eyes in curiosity. His voice was quiet and kind of husky, probably from sleepiness.

"I need to go to the ladies room." I whimpered silently. It's amazing how authoritative this guy can be all the time, even when he just wakes up. He formed his lips like he was about to say "oh" but no sound came out. We stared at each other for a little bit longer till I finally realized that I should probably move.

"Waiting for my approval?" He asked, smirking.

I just frowned and got lost as quick as possible. An unpleasantly long queue waited for me by the toilet. But on the other hand, there's no need to hurry. I could definitely use some time on my own.

I was making my way back to my seat when I accidentally crashed into some guy.

"I'm sorry" I looked at him and smiled politely.

"Could you … " he started angrily before he take a look at me. Then he stopped and completely changed his expression. "There's no need to apologize. Who wouldn't like crashing into such gorgeous, beautiful little girl?"

_Little girl? Seriously? _I was about to go when he blocked my way.

"Is there any chance that you would have a drink with me? A seat next to mine is empty" He winked at me.

I didn't want to be mean, but there was something_ so sleazy_ about him. I bet you know this type.

"Thank you, but no, I'm – "

"Oh come ooon. I'm sure you won't regret it." he cut me off and grabbed my wrist, a little too tightly for my taste.

"Would you _please_ let me go? I'm really not interested." I asked pleadingly.

He was just taking a breath to say something when a voice came from behind him. " You heard the lady, didn't you?" _Thank God_. It was Elijah. But wait a minute! I'm not supposed to feel relieved by his presence.

The guy looked at Elijah and immediately let go off my hand. "Sorry dude, didn't know she was taken." I noticed how Elijah squinted his eyes slightly at the dude word. But instead of confronting him as I expected, he just smirked at him contemptuously and said: "Apology accepted". With that, he led me to our seats.

"Apology accepted?" I asked mockingly as we were sitting down.

"I wasn't about to waste any other second of my time explaining to this guy our relationship…or anything at all".

I just nodded. "Thank you" I added after a while.

"Anytime" He said with a serious face. One simple word and it occupied my thoughts for another several minutes. Him being nice to me…it just confused me.

We sat there in silence for another half of hour until I decided to finally break it.

"Why Dublin?"

"I almost thought you will never ask" He smiled.

"That's not an answer. Why are we flying there?"

"I have my reasons. But you don't need to worry about it. As I already said, I have to take care about something before the so called sacrifice"

I sighed. "Do you like Ireland?" I didn't even know why I asked. I guess I was just looking for some kind of a normal conversation instead of instant worrying about Klaus.

It took him a moment to answer. He was probably thinking about something. "I love Ireland" another smile appeared on his lips."I have a ton of memories from there."

"I've never been there yet. But I desperately wanted to since the first time I read G.B. Shaw."

Elijah turned his head to look at me with an unreadable expression. "I'm honored to be the one who fulfills your dream " he said after a moment with his typical smirk.

"In a very odd way, though" I couldn't help but laugh.

"How dare you to raise objections to _my_ way of doing anything?" He asked obviously just pretending to be insulted.

Instead of an answer, I laughed again. And that's when I started to realize more and more just how much I enjoy being in his presence.

"You will love it there" He said, his face suddenly getting serious again."I'll make sure of it"

This sentence together with his intense gaze and low husky voice gave me the goosebumbs...

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><p><strong>AN: Well...I hope I made you at least a bit happy :)) :* To be continued soon ;)**

**And thank you all sooo MUCH for the reviews.**

**Here is a special note for my czech reader KiVi : Ahoooj. Díky moc za komentář. S tou písničkou to byl pravděpodobně osud :D. Co se té angličtiny týče, opovaž se dát další komentář v češtině, protože tvoje ajina je naprosto v pohodě a je jenom dobře když si ji budeš pořád dokola procvičovat. Takže fakt nemáš co na mě obdivovat ;) doufám že od tebe ještě uslyším ;) pp**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! I have this written for a couple of days already, but this server probably doesn't like me very much...or there was a problem with my computer? Who knows. The important thing is that here is the new chapter. Enjoy ;)**

**And THANK YOU all czech and non-czech readers for your support :))**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

There was just one word on my mind in that moment. _Magnificent_.

After our plane landed in Dublin, Elijah borrowed a car for us. Then, what seemed like an hour later, we finally reached our destination. And here I was. In the middle of _beautiful_ nowhere, represented by the woods on one side, rough sea on the other side and a real, monumental, breathtaking castle on a cliff right in front of us. Simply _magnificent._

"That…is that yours?" I asked, still standing next to our car, unable to move forward…or any direction for that matter.

"Yes" said Elijah like it was no big deal. He was standing right behind me.

"Is that even possible? To own an actual castle these days?"

He just chuckled and asked: "Shall we?"

"N-no, not really. I just want to stay here and watch a bit longer." That drew another chuckle from him.

"Your wish is my command" He said quietly and moved closer to me. I could actually _feel _his presence behind my back and the goose bumps I had had on the plane before now returned. Somewhere deep inside I started to feel guilty about his effect on me but I kept trying to blame his vampirism and the whole original thing. He affects this way everyone around him, that's for sure. There was _nothing _wrong with me.

I turned my head to look at him. I sooo knew I should have, but I just _couldn't_ break the eye contact. I have no idea for how long we stood there. For my surprise, it was him ruining the moment. He turned around to lock the car and then headed to _his_ castle.

"Come on! You can enjoy the view later" he shouted to me.

Elijah held the door opened for me (or should I say the gate?) and waited for me to catch up with him.

We walked inside and appeared in a spacious dark hallway. The room was illuminated by dim wall lights, which created the right I'm-in-a-freaking-old-dark-scary-castle feeling. Around the corner there was a wide stone stairway. Elijah led me upstairs. I got a bit relieved because it was really beautiful up there. Expensive paintings on the walls, exquisite carpets, curtains and all other kinds of decoration. And most of all, there was just enough light to make me feel comfortable. Actually, it suddenly felt like being in a luxury hotel and not in a medieval building. I started to really like this place.

We ended up in what looked like a dinning room. There was a massive, wooden, antique table in the middle. A library full of dozens of books spread over one whole wall and on the opposite side of room a very comfortable-looking sectional sofa. It was a huge room. Everything in this place was.

"Make yourself at home" Elijah smiled at me. His voice was followed by a weird noise.

"Would you excuse me for a minute?" he asked and disappeared in another room.

Meanwhile, I sat on one of the sofas. For a minute there was silence and then I heard muffled voices. Elijah was obviously talking to someone. The door opened and the Original entered the room with some old man by his side.

"Ardal, let me introduce you miss Elena Gilbert" the old man came closer to me with a wide smile on his lips.

"Elena, this is Ardal. He takes care of this place while I'm gone" continued Elijah.

Ardal bent down to gently kiss my hand. From the first moment he spoke I knew we would get along well. His voice was so warm and peaceful, there was positive energy everywhere around him. You know this kind of people…

"If you need anything, miss Gilbert, please, just tell me and I'll make your every wish come true."

"Thank you, Ardal. And please, call me Elena." He nodded politely and left apologizing that he had some work to do.

"Is he … a human?" I asked Elijah as soon as Ardal walked away.

"Yes" was his simple answer.

"Does he know that you are a vampire?"

"No…and I would appreciate you being discreet" he said, sitting down on the sofa.

I nodded hesitantly and sat next to him. "I've been thinking…being a vampire for a god knows how freaking long time…it has to be difficult…and incredibly lonely life."

He looked at me. His eyes got somehow darker. It was not until then when I realized how close to each other we were sitting.

"In my opinion, you have much more important things to worry about, don't you think?" By the end of this sentence, the smug typical smirk of his was back on its place. Though it wasn't hard to tell that I had crossed some boundaries.

"It's always better to worry about other people's problems. And since we're gonna spend so much time together, you could tell me more about yourself. You're a complete stranger to me" I wasn't going to give up so easily.

"So" he paused for a moment, watching me with a smile and then continued with lower voice "What is it exactly that you want to know?"

"Let's start with something easy. This place…do you live here? I mean…like officially. When you're not just running around US desperately trying to settle accounts with your brother. Do you?"

He seemed to be amused with that question. It probably wasn't what he expected. " Officially…I live anywhere you can think of. I have houses and properties everywhere around the world."

"How does one make such a huge amount of money?"

"When you live for so long as I do, you get to do _a lot_ of different things. "

"Your answers are too general for my taste." I frowned. "What about your favourite color? Are you going to tell me that when you live for so long as you do, you get to like a lot of different spectrums of colors?"

He leaned a bit closer to me, if that was even possible and looked deep into my eyes. "Dark-brown" he whispered. _Crap_, the goose bumps…_again_. "_That_ is my favourite color."

God, god, god. Now it's good time to panic. Why does he have to be so…so…charming? "Elena" I heard him saying my name. It felt like he was speaking from a big distance.

"Huh?" was all I was capable of in that moment, still staring into his eyes.

"Breathe" Only then I realized I was holding breath the whole time. I inhaled, but still couldn't make myself look away, or move. He then looked down and examined my body with his gaze, inch by inch, until he reached my eyes again. I felt _naked_. I couldn't suppress a shiver. In that moment, it hit me. _Stefan_.

I cleared my throat and stood up.

"It has been a long journey. You must be tired." Said Elijah after an awkward moment of silence. He stood up as well and led me out of the room. "I will show you your bedroom, you can rest while I'll be gone." We went up another floor.

"Where are you going?"

" See an old friend. And acquire an elixir for you. The one which will help you to survive the sacrifice."

"I want to go with you"

"No way. It could be dangerous" He replied sharply and pointed at the door at the end of the hallway we were standing in.

"Your bedroom is over there. As I said earlier, make yourself at home. I really have to go now" He gave me one last look and vanished.

I entered the room which looked just as perfect as the rest of this building. But I really couldn't focus on where I was in that moment. I was exhausted. The first thing that caught my attention was a king sized bed. I jumped right into it and immediately fell asleep.

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><p>Loud knocking at the door woke me up.<p>

"W..hat?" I asked sleepily.

"The dinner is ready, miss Gilbert!" I heard Ardal from behind the door.

"Oh, thanks, I'll be there in a minute" I got slowly and lazily out of the bed. Looking outside through the window I found out it was already dark.

In a few minutes I crawled into the dining room. The table was set for two but noone else was there. I sat down and looked around hesitantly, not being sure what to do. Then the door opened and Elijah walked in. He was pale. More pale than usually. His eyes were glassy and his features stern. I _knew_ there was something wrong.

"What happened?" I was almost afraid to ask, but I did it anyway.

He didn't answer. He went to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down, looking down.

"Elijah"

Nothing…

"Ok. Now you're scaring me. Wha-"

He didn't let me finish. He finally met my gaze and with a cracked voice he said the very last thing that I would expect him to tell me.

"_Klaus is dead.._."

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><p><strong>NA: I'm sure you didn't see that coming, huh? :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hallo, hallo, hallo! Can't believe I'm back here. I don't know if you read my profile (most of you probably didn't) so let me explain you what happened. My computer broke down. And I mean like broke broke. He passed away for good... along with all my already written chapters. That is the reason why i didn't updated for so long. I waited if the pc can be fixed and my chapters saved. That unfortunataly didn't happen. Can you imagine my state of insanity when I found out that all I wrote was wasted? Why do I ask...I don't think you can :D**

**I had to start all over again so please, be indulgent. ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

I was sitting in a comfortable chair in one of the many libraries that this castle had. There was a burning fireplace in front of me and The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde in my hands. A perfect scenario, one would think… but I couldn't focus on one simple sentence in that book. There was just one name on my mind - _Elijah_.

I had so much more to worry about…for example is Klaus really dead? How is that even possible? How am I going to get back home? Stefan must be going out of his mind worrying about me. What on earth am I going to do now? But no, all I could think of was Elijah's desperate look in his eyes when he had told me about Klaus. He had left right after that and I haven't heard of him for days.

Suddenly I realized I wasn't alone. I jumped up in shock but immediately found out it was only Ardal.

"Jesus, Ardal, don't do this to me. You move as quiet as a cat."

"I'm so sorry, Miss Gilbert, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I know. It's ok. Just toot next time or something before entering the room" I smiled.

"Ok then" he laughed. "Is there anything else I can do for you before I go to sleep?"

"No, thank you, just one question…Is there any news about Elijah?"

"No, I'm afraid there isn't. But don't you worry, he would never leave you here for good, if that is what you're thinking. Just give him some time to process everything that has happened. He deserves at least that."

I sighed. "I would just really like to know what _exactly_ has happened. And…I'm also a bit worried about him." I added silently.

"I think he is very capable of taking care of himself." Ardel answered in a mischievous tone.

I hesitated at first but at last I asked: "Why do I get the feeling that you know much more about him than he told me you do?"

"And what is it that he told you? That I don't know he is a vampire?" I nodded and let him continue. "I'm quite certain he told you that to keep you from asking me about him. He appreciates his privacy. I actually think I know Elijah much better than anyone else."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Much more than that, Miss Gilbert. I've never met a better person. And no, I am not under his compulsion" He winked at me.

"Elena, Ardal, it's Elena." I frowned with a smile and thought about what he said for a minute. He talked about Elijah like he was some kind of a saint and not an original. Things started to be more and more complicated. "So what makes him better than anyone else?"

Ardel looked at me for a second and inhaled deeply before answering. "I believe you said you had just one question and I've already answered much more than that. I'm afraid you reached your limit…at least for today" And with that he was almost gone. He just added a "good night wish" before disappearing.

I dramatically closed the book and sighed. I needed to come up with some kind of a plan. I could grow old here before Elijah would decide to come back. I got up from the chair and headed to my bedroom while thinking: _Great. So I'm finally gonna get out of here. Except that the car is gone so I have to walk. I don't know where the nearest town is and I don't have any money so when and if I get there, there's really nothing I can do. _By that time I already managed to get to my bedroom. Instead of implementing an escape plan I jumped into the bed and buried my head into the cushions, lying on my stomach. I wanted to cry. I was _desperate_.

"Elena…"

I lifted my head in shock. I _knew_ this voice. I was too scared that if I turned around I would find out I was just hallucinating.

"Elena…"

There it was again. I wiped my teary eyes and sit down, facing the doors. He was standing there leaning against the door frame with as emotionless look on his face as usually. "Elijah?"

He narrowed his eyes a bit and asked "Have you been crying?"

"No" I snapped resentfully.

The corner of his lips curled up into a small smirk as he was getting closer to me. "Liar" He said silently and stopped in front of my bed. His smirk turned into a serious expression as quick as it appeared."I'm so sorry" The broken tone of this simple short sentence did it to me. Suddenly I switched from an _angry-abonded-desperate mode _to an_ oh-my-god-poor-elijah mode._

"No, no, I am sorry" I got on my feet and not even realizing or thinking about what I was doing I hugged him, tight. "I can't even imagine what you are going through. If I lost Jeremy –"My voice cracked and I couldn't finish the sentence.

I must have caught him out of his guard. He stiffened. After a moment, I felt a slight touch of his hand on my back and his head moved down to the crook of my neck. I heard him exhale. Well, I also kind of felt it. And that's when the shivers went down my spine. I suddenly forgot the reason why I hugged him and the only thing I could concentrate on was the feeling of his body against mine combined with his intoxicating smell. His other hand found its way on my hip, which made my stomach flip, but right after that he gently pushed me away.

"I shouldn't have left without a word of an explanation. But I needed some time for myself. I hope you understand" he said after clearing his throat. "And I knew Ardal would take good care of you"

"Yes, he did." I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked down, suddenly feeling very awkward for what I just did. I sat down back on the bed and started hesitantly: "So would you tell m-" I couldn't finish because Elijah interrupted me while straightening his suit.

"I will take you home tomorrow morning. Our little trip sort of lost its meaning."

_Home_. I should have felt relieved. But I didn't. What was wrong with me?

"Well…thank you." I couldn't think of anything else to say. "But what about Kla-"I needed answers. And again, I was interrupted by his upset voice.

"For _once_ in my life, please, I don't want to _hear_ anything about _Klaus,_ I don't want to _think_ about him, I don't want to _talk_ about him, just-" he sighed, closing his eyes for two seconds. Then he sat down right next to me. This was one of these precious moments when he wasn't wearing his calm mask. And as stupid as it might sound, I felt weirdly honored that he let go of his facade in _my_ presence. It was really strange to see him like this. "Could we _just_ for tonight…act like he never existed?" He turned his head to connect his eyes with mine. And what I saw in there was…_exhaustion_.

"Just for tonight" I whispered with a sympathetic smile. I slightly touched his forearm to calm him but I withdrew as soon as I realized that I was harassing him again. I already crossed the line for second time today, _great._

His lips curled up into his classical smirk and out of sudden, it was him again. "I brought you some new clothes, by the way. You said that the small amount of clothes that I had here for you was ok, but it occurred to me that you could use something less provisory and more representative….Especially when you are about to meet your beloved Stefan" He winked at me. "I left it downstairs. You can look at it tomorrow."

My beloved Stefan?I didn't want to talk about him. And I didn't like the tone he used while saying Stefan's name either. "Thank you. That's very nice of you."

"It was my pleasure."

_Minute of silence..._

"So...you enjoy shopping then?" I tried to divert his thoughts to something else than his brother and have a normal conversation but this was just too much. I was asking an original vampire about his possible fondness for shopping. It was getting really absurd. Another second of silence passed and I burst out laughing. "Sorry. Just don't answer please." I looked at him after I calmed down. He was watching me with an amused expression. I expected him to say anything but he was just staring.

"So…what do you wanna talk about?" I asked finally. It seemed that he wasn't about to go away any time soon. And truth to be told, I didn't mind.

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><p>I'm not really sure how it happened. We were now both half lying half sitting next to each other, leaning against the headboard of the bed and surrounded by pillows. We had been talking for hours. It already must have been late after midnight. We talked about everything and nothing. Music, cinematography, literature, global warming, politics, world peace, Dracula, cute little puppies... and so on. This whole situation felt so unreal, so unlikely but also comfortable and … perfect. I didn't want the night to end.<p>

"So you don't believe in love at the first sight?" I asked him with interest while playing with a ring on my finger.

"Well of course not." He said casually.

"What do you mean _of course not_?" I laughed.

"I understand love as a strong bond to someone who you worship and admire for their personal qualities. Therefore you cannot love somebody you do not know at all. During the first seconds you meet the person, it is just about chemistry, nothing else."

I turned my head to look at him. I liked the way his jaw strained when he pronounced _chemistry_. But hey, when did I started to notice such things as what does his face look like while talking? Jesus, if I just stopped glaring and said something! But I couldn't...Now I even noticed how good he looked in his white shirt with sleeves rolled up and first two buttons unbottened. I didn't even realize that he had loose his suit jacket during our conversation until now. He looked _really_ handsome. And I was _still_ glaring...

"You don't agree?" he asked studying my face.

"Actually...it makes sence" I managed to stammer hypnotizing his eyes. I felt as if I were compelled. And however inappropriate it may seem, all the recent days events and the strange progress of this night left only one last thought on my mind:

_Kiss him._

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><p><strong><strong>NA: **xo,xo, D.**


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